Moser was dominant from the mid-1970s to the early 1980s and won the 1984 Giro d'Italia, the 1977 world road racing championship and six times in three of the five classics. He turned professional in 1973, showing a cultured pedaling style. But his powerful build meant he wasn’t a gifted climber. His 273 road victories puts him behind Eddy Merckx (525) and Rik Van Looy (379), but ahead of Rik Van Steenbergen (270) and Roger De Vlaeminck (255). He was also an accomplished track rider, riding up to six Six-Day races almost each winter throughout his career. He rode 35, 14 of which with René Pijnen, winning 15.

A nephew, Moreno Moser, (born 25 December 1990) is an Italian professional racer, and Francesco's son Ignazio Moser enjoyed success at the junior and amateur levels before retiring at the age of 22.[2]

On 19 January 1984, in Mexico City, Moser broke the 1972 hour record of Eddy Merckx. He rode 50.808 kilometers, on an aerodynamic bike with full disc wheels more advanced than the conventional bike Merckx used in 1972. As a result, in 1997 the Union Cycliste Internationale banned hour records set on bikes featuring technological advantages.[4] Under the new rules, Merckx's record wasn't broken until 2000. Moser auctioned his bicycle to benefit UNICEF.

1.
Tour de France
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The Tour de France is an annual multiple stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally making passes through nearby countries. The race was first organized in 1903 to increase sales for the newspaper LAuto, the race has been held annually since its first edition in 1903 except when it was stopped for the two World Wars. As the Tour gained prominence and popularity the race was lengthened, participation expanded from a primarily French field, as riders from all over the world began to participate in the race each year. The Tour is a UCI World Tour event, which means that the teams compete in the race are mostly UCI WorldTeams. Traditionally, the race is primarily in the month of July. The modern editions of the Tour de France consist of 21 day-long segments over a 23-day period, the race alternates between clockwise and counterclockwise circuits of France. The number of teams usually varies between 20 and 22, with nine riders in each, all of the stages are timed to the finish, the riders times are compounded with their previous stage times. The rider with the lowest aggregate time is the leader of the race, gaining a stage win is also a hotly contested competition, fought for by a specialist cycling sprinter on each team. The Tour de France was created in 1903, the roots of the Tour de France trace back to the emergence of two rival sports newspapers in the country. On the one hand was Le Vélo, the first and the largest daily newspaper in France which sold 80,000 copies a day. On the other was LAuto, which had been set-up by journalists and business-people including Comte Jules-Albert de Dion, Adolphe Clément, the new newspaper appointed Henri Desgrange as the editor. He was a prominent cyclist and owner with Victor Goddet of the velodrome at the Parc des Princes, De Dion knew him through his cycling reputation, through the books and cycling articles that he had written, and through press articles he had written for the Clément tyre company. LAuto was not the success its backers wanted, stagnating sales lower than the rival it was intended to surpass led to a crisis meeting on 20 November 1902 on the middle floor of LAutos office at 10 Rue du Faubourg Montmartre, Paris. The last to speak was the most junior there, the chief cycling journalist, Desgrange had poached him from Giffards paper. Lefèvre suggested a six-day race of the sort popular on the track, long-distance cycle races were a popular means to sell more newspapers, but nothing of the length that Lefèvre suggested had been attempted. If it succeeded, it would help LAuto match its rival and it could, as Desgrange said, nail Giffards beak shut. Desgrange and Lefèvre discussed it after lunch, Desgrange was doubtful but the papers financial director, Victor Goddet, was enthusiastic. He handed Desgrange the keys to the safe and said

2.
Giro d'Italia
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The Giro dItalia is an annual multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in Italy, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. The first race was organized in 1909 to increase sales of the newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, the race has been held annually since its first edition in 1909, except when it was stopped for the two world wars. As the Giro gained prominence and popularity the race was lengthened, the Giro is a UCI World Tour event, which means that the teams that compete in the race are mostly UCI Proteams, with the exception of the teams that the organizers can invite. Along with the Tour de France and Vuelta a España, the Giro makes up cyclings prestigious three-week-long Grand Tours, the Giro is usually held during late May and early June. While the route each year, the format of the race stays the same. Like the other Grand Tours, the editions of the Giro dItalia normally consist of 21 day-long segments over a 23-day period that includes 2 rest days. All of the stages are timed to the finish, after finishing the riders times are compounded with their previous stage times. The rider with the lowest aggregate time is the leader of the race, Italian rider Vincenzo Nibali was the victor in the 2016 edition of the race. At the time La Gazzettas rival, Corriere della Sera was planning on holding a race of its own. Morgagni then decided to try and hold their race before Corriere della Sera could hold theirs, however, after the success La Gazzetta had with creating the Giro di Lombardia and Milan–San Remo, the owner Costamagna decided to go through with the idea. Their bike race was announced on August 7,1908 in the first page of that edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport. The race was to be held in May of 1909, the idea of the race was inspired by the Tour de France and the success that LAuto had gained from it. Since the organizers lacked the funds,25,000 lire, needed to hold the race, they consulted Primo Bongrani, Bongrani proceeded to go around Italy asking for donations to help hold the race. Bongranis efforts were successful, he had procured enough money to cover the operating costs. The money that was to be out as prizes came from a casino in San Remo after Francesco Sghirla. Even Corriere, La Gazzettas rival, gave 3,000 lire to the races fund, on 13 May 1909 at 02,53 am 127 riders started the first Giro dItalia at Loreto Place in Milan. The race was split into eight stages covering 2,448 km, a total of 49 riders finished, with Italian Luigi Ganna winning. Ganna won three stages and the General Classification

3.
Italy
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Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a unitary parliamentary republic in Europe. Located in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea, Italy shares open land borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, San Marino, Italy covers an area of 301,338 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate and Mediterranean climate. Due to its shape, it is referred to in Italy as lo Stivale. With 61 million inhabitants, it is the fourth most populous EU member state, the Italic tribe known as the Latins formed the Roman Kingdom, which eventually became a republic that conquered and assimilated other nearby civilisations. The legacy of the Roman Empire is widespread and can be observed in the distribution of civilian law, republican governments, Christianity. The Renaissance began in Italy and spread to the rest of Europe, bringing a renewed interest in humanism, science, exploration, Italian culture flourished at this time, producing famous scholars, artists and polymaths such as Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo, Michelangelo and Machiavelli. The weakened sovereigns soon fell victim to conquest by European powers such as France, Spain and Austria. Despite being one of the victors in World War I, Italy entered a period of economic crisis and social turmoil. The subsequent participation in World War II on the Axis side ended in defeat, economic destruction. Today, Italy has the third largest economy in the Eurozone and it has a very high level of human development and is ranked sixth in the world for life expectancy. The country plays a prominent role in regional and global economic, military, cultural and diplomatic affairs, as a reflection of its cultural wealth, Italy is home to 51 World Heritage Sites, the most in the world, and is the fifth most visited country. The assumptions on the etymology of the name Italia are very numerous, according to one of the more common explanations, the term Italia, from Latin, Italia, was borrowed through Greek from the Oscan Víteliú, meaning land of young cattle. The bull was a symbol of the southern Italic tribes and was often depicted goring the Roman wolf as a defiant symbol of free Italy during the Social War. Greek historian Dionysius of Halicarnassus states this account together with the legend that Italy was named after Italus, mentioned also by Aristotle and Thucydides. The name Italia originally applied only to a part of what is now Southern Italy – according to Antiochus of Syracuse, but by his time Oenotria and Italy had become synonymous, and the name also applied to most of Lucania as well. The Greeks gradually came to apply the name Italia to a larger region, excavations throughout Italy revealed a Neanderthal presence dating back to the Palaeolithic period, some 200,000 years ago, modern Humans arrived about 40,000 years ago. Other ancient Italian peoples of undetermined language families but of possible origins include the Rhaetian people and Cammuni. Also the Phoenicians established colonies on the coasts of Sardinia and Sicily, the Roman legacy has deeply influenced the Western civilisation, shaping most of the modern world

4.
Road bicycle racing
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Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held on paved roads. Road racing is the most popular form of bicycle racing, in terms of numbers of competitors, events. Professional racing has been most popular in Western Europe, centered historically on France, Spain, Italy, since the mid-1980s the sport has diversified with professional races now held on all continents of the globe. Semi-professional and amateur races are held in many countries. The sport is governed by the Union Cycliste Internationale, as well as the UCIs annual World Championships for men and women, the biggest event is the Tour de France, a three-week race that can attract over 500,000 roadside supporters a day. Road bicycle racing began as a sport in 1868. The first world championship was in 1893 and cycling has been part of the Olympic Games since the sequence started in Athens in 1896. Road racing in its modern form originated in the late 19th century, the sport was popular in the western European countries of France, Spain, Belgium, and Italy. Some of Europes earliest road bicycle races remain among the sports biggest events and these early races include Liège–Bastogne–Liège, Paris–Roubaix, the Tour de France, the Milan–San Remo and Giro di Lombardia, the Giro dItalia, the Volta a Catalunya, and the Tour of Flanders. They provided a template for other races around the world, while the sport has spread throughout the world, these historic races remain the most prestigious for a cyclist to win. Single-day race distances may be as long as 150 miles, races over short circuits, often in town or city centres, are known as criteriums. Individual time trial is an event in which cyclists race alone against the clock on flat or rolling terrain, a team time trial, including two-man team time trial, is a road-based bicycle race in which teams of cyclists race against the clock. In both team and individual time trials, the start the race at different times so that each start is fair. Race distances vary from a few km to between approximately 20 miles and 60 miles, stage races consist of several races, or stages, ridden consecutively. The competitor with the lowest cumulative time to all stages is declared the overall, or general classification. Stage races may also have other classifications and awards, such as stage winners, the points classification winner. A stage race can also be a series of road races, the stage winner is the first person to cross the finish line that day or the time trial rider with the lowest time on the course. The overall winner of a race is the rider who takes the lowest aggregate time to complete all stages

5.
Trentino
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Trentino, officially the Autonomous Province of Trento, is an autonomous province of Italy, in the countrys far north. Trentino is, along with South Tyrol, one of the two provinces making up the region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, which is designated a region under the constitution. The province is divided into 178 comuni and its capital is the city of Trento. The province covers an area of more than 6,000 km2, Trentino is renowned for its mountains, such as the Dolomites, which are part of the Alps. The province is known as Trentino. The name derives from Trento, the city of the province. Originally, the term was used by the population only to refer to the city. In its wider sense, Trentino was first used around 1848 in an article by a member of the Frankfurt National Assembly, since the new 1972 autonomous status, the administrative name of the province is Autonomous Province of Trento. The history of Trentino begins in the mid-Stone Age, the valleys of what is now Trentino were already inhabited by man, the main settlements being in the valley of the Adige River, thanks to its milder climate. In the early Middle Ages, this area was included within the Kingdom of Italy, in 1027, the Bishopric of Trent was established as a State of the Holy Roman Empire by Emperor Conrad II. It was a territory, roughly corresponding to the present-day Trentino. The Council of Trent, held in three sessions from 1545 to 1563, with the first at Trento, was one of the important councils in the history of the Roman Catholic Church. It was an articulation of Roman Catholic doctrine in response to the Protestant Reformation, and specified doctrine on salvation, the sacraments, after the Napoleonic Wars of the early 19th century, the bishopric was secularized and absorbed into the Austrian County of Tyrol. It was governed by the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, the region was the location of heavy fighting during World War I, as it was directly on the front lines between Austria-Hungary and Italy. Trentino remained a part of Austria-Hungary until after the end of the war in 1919, since this treaty, Trentino enjoys considerable autonomy from the Italian central government in Rome. It has its own elected government and legislative assembly, in 1996, the Euroregion Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino was formed between the Austrian state of Tyrol and the Italian provinces of South Tyrol and Trentino. The boundaries of the association correspond to the old County of Tyrol, the aim is to promote regional peace, understanding and cooperation in many areas. The regions assemblies meet together as one on various occasions and have set up a liaison office to the European Union in Brussels

6.
Glossary of cycling
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The following terminology is used in cycling and cycle sport. 27.5 Mountain bike a mountain bike with wheels that are approximately 27.5 inches in diameter, including a 2-inch-wide tire, and are based on ISO584 mm rims. 29er a mountain bike with wheels that are approximately 29 inches in diameter, including a 2-inch-wide tire,3,1 rule a UCI rule stating the length and the width of the bicycle tubes cannot exceed the ratio of 3,1. À bloc Riding or going à bloc means giving it all youve got, going all out, example, I really gave it all in the last kilometers, although I didnt think it was possible until I crossed the line. Aero bars Extension of the handlebars allowing the rider to rest their elbows. Often found on Time trial bicycles, aero racing bicycle A type of racing bike that combines the aerodynamic features of a time trial bicycle with a road racing bicycle. All-rounder A racing cyclist who excels in both climbing and time trialing, and may also be a decent sprinter, in stage races, an all-rounder is likely to place well in the General classification. Fausto Coppi, Eddy Merckx and Miguel Indurain were notable all-rounders, Alberto Contador, Vincenzo Nibali, all-rounders are usually Team Leaders in both stage races and classics cycle races. Alleycat race A bicycle race typically organized by bicycle messengers or couriers, alleycat races seek to replicate some of the duties that a working messenger might encounter during a typical day. The races usually consist of previously undisclosed checkpoints, which are listed on a manifest, First racer to return with a completed manifest wins. Alleycats were first formalized in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1989, however, recently, with the boom in urban cycling, many non-messengers have been participating in and organizing alleycat races. Anchor Endearing term to designate a cyclists child, the latter tends to anchor the rider at his home. Arrière du peloton From French, literally the rear of the peloton, Also called the Feu Rouge or Lanterne rouge. Attack To quickly accelerate while riding in a pack, or in smaller numbers, audax In the United Kingdom and a few other places, the same as randonneuring. In other parts of the world, A discipline related to randonneuring where everyone ride together in a group led by a captain, audax bicycle A bicycle built for randonneuring and audax rides. Functionally in-between a road racing bike and a touring bike, usually equipped with fenders, dynamo-based lights and a small front or rear luggage rack. Autobus A group of riders in a race who ride together as a group on the mountain stages with the sole intention of finishing within the stages time limit to allow them to start the next day. Also known by the Italian term gruppetto, backie Colloquial noun meaning to a ride given to a second person on a bicycle

7.
Eddy Merckx
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He was born in Meensel-Kiezegem, Brabant, Belgium. He grew up in Woluwe-Saint-Pierre where his parents ran a grocery store and he played several sports, but found his true passion in cycling. Merckx got his first bicycle at the age of three or four and competed in his first race in 1961. His first victory came at Petit-Enghien in October 1961, and after winning eighty races as an amateur racer and his first major victory came in the Milan–San Remo a year later, after switching to Peugeot–BP–Michelin. After the 1967 season, Merckx moved to Faema, and won the Giro dItalia, four times between 1970 and 1974, Merckx completed a Grand Tour double. His final double also coincided with winning the road race at the UCI Road World Championships to make him the first rider to accomplish cyclings Triple Crown. Merckx broke the record in October 1972, extending the record by almost 800 meters. He acquired the nickname The Cannibal after a teammate told his daughter of how Merckx would not let anyone else win, Merckx achieved 525 victories over his eighteen-year career. He is one of three riders to have won all five Monuments of Cycling. The other two are fellow Belgians Roger De Vlaeminck and Rik Van Looy, the only major one-day race he did not win was Paris–Tours, his best performance was sixth in 1973. Merckx was successful on the road and also on the track, as well as in the stage races. He is widely thought to be the greatest and most successful rider in the history of cycling, however, Merckx was caught in three separate doping incidents during his career. Since Merckxs retirement from the sport on 18 May 1978, he has remained active in the cycling world and he began his own bicycle chain, Eddy Merckx Cycles, in 1980 and its bicycles were used by several professional teams in the 1980s and 1990s. Merckx coached the Belgian national cycling team for years, stopping in 1996. In 2001, he played a role in getting the Tour of Qatar organized to start in 2002. He co-owns the tour and also the Tour of Oman, both of which he still organizes, edouard Louis Joseph Merckx was born in Meensel-Kiezegem, Brabant, Belgium on 17 June 1945 to Jules Merckx and Jenny Pittomvils. Merckx was the first-born of the family, in September 1946, the family moved to Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, in Brussels, Belgium in order to take over a grocery store that had been up for lease. In May 1948, Jenny gave birth to twins, a boy, Michel, as a child Eddy was hyperactive and was always playing outside

8.
Six-day racing
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A six or six-day is a track cycling race that lasts six days. Six-day races started in Britain, spread to regions of the world, were brought to their modern style in the United States and are now mainly a European event. Initially, individuals competed alone, the winner being the individual who completed the most laps, however, the format was changed to allow teams, one rider racing while the other rested. The 24-hours a day regime has also relaxed, so that most six-day races involve six nights of racing, typically from 6pm to 2am. The overall winner is the team which completes most laps, in the event of teams completing the same number of laps, the winner is the team with most points won in intermediate competitions. As well as the chase to gain laps over competitors, a typical six-day programme will include time trials, motor-paced, intermediate sprint and elimination races. In the main chase or madison events, both riders may be on the track at the time, taking it in turns to race. A Mr Davis put up £100 and the stake was held by the Sporting Life newspaper, stanton started at 6am on 25 February and won the bet in 73 hours, riding on a high-wheeled machine at an average speed of 13.5 mph. Six-day cycle races involving more than one rider grew out of the 19th-century enthusiasm for endurance, a promoter at the Agricultural Hall held a six-day walking contest in April 1877. It was enough of a success for another to be held the following year and that inspired another organiser, name no longer known, to organise a six-day race in the same hall but for cyclists, also in 1878. He hoped to attract the crowd of 20,000 a day that had turned out for the walkers, the race started at 6am with only four of the 12 entrants on the track. Although it is said that the first six-day was a non-stop, no-sleeping event that ran without pause for six days, in fact riders joined in when they chose. The winner was Bill Cann, of Sheffield, who led from the start, however, the event did not become popular until 1891, when the first Six Days of New York were held in New Yorks Madison Square Garden. Initially, these races were contests of raw endurance, with a single rider completing as many laps as possible, at first, races were less than 24 hours a day. Riders slept at night and were free to join in the morning when they chose, faster riders would start later than the slower ones, who would sacrifice sleep to make up for lack of pace. Quickly, riders began competing 24 hours a day, limited only by their ability to stay awake, many employed seconds, as in boxing, to keep them going. The seconds, known by their French name soigneurs, were said to have used doping to keep their riders circling the track, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle said, The wear and tear upon their nerves and their muscles, and the loss of sleep make them. If their desires are not met with on the moment, they break forth with a stream of abuse and these outbreaks do not trouble the trainers with experience, for they understand the condition the men are in

9.
Belgium
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Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a sovereign state in Western Europe bordered by France, the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, and the North Sea. It is a small, densely populated country which covers an area of 30,528 square kilometres and has a population of about 11 million people. Additionally, there is a group of German-speakers who live in the East Cantons located around the High Fens area. Historically, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg were known as the Low Countries, the region was called Belgica in Latin, after the Roman province of Gallia Belgica. From the end of the Middle Ages until the 17th century, today, Belgium is a federal constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of governance. It is divided into three regions and three communities, that exist next to each other and its two largest regions are the Dutch-speaking region of Flanders in the north and the French-speaking southern region of Wallonia. The Brussels-Capital Region is a bilingual enclave within the Flemish Region. A German-speaking Community exists in eastern Wallonia, Belgiums linguistic diversity and related political conflicts are reflected in its political history and complex system of governance, made up of six different governments. Upon its independence, declared in 1830, Belgium participated in the Industrial Revolution and, during the course of the 20th century, possessed a number of colonies in Africa. This continuing antagonism has led to several far-reaching reforms, resulting in a transition from a unitary to a federal arrangement during the period from 1970 to 1993. Belgium is also a member of the Eurozone, NATO, OECD and WTO. Its capital, Brussels, hosts several of the EUs official seats as well as the headquarters of major international organizations such as NATO. Belgium is also a part of the Schengen Area, Belgium is a developed country, with an advanced high-income economy and is categorized as very high in the Human Development Index. A gradual immigration by Germanic Frankish tribes during the 5th century brought the area under the rule of the Merovingian kings, a gradual shift of power during the 8th century led the kingdom of the Franks to evolve into the Carolingian Empire. Many of these fiefdoms were united in the Burgundian Netherlands of the 14th and 15th centuries, the Eighty Years War divided the Low Countries into the northern United Provinces and the Southern Netherlands. The latter were ruled successively by the Spanish and the Austrian Habsburgs and this was the theatre of most Franco-Spanish and Franco-Austrian wars during the 17th and 18th centuries. The reunification of the Low Countries as the United Kingdom of the Netherlands occurred at the dissolution of the First French Empire in 1815, although the franchise was initially restricted, universal suffrage for men was introduced after the general strike of 1893 and for women in 1949. The main political parties of the 19th century were the Catholic Party, French was originally the single official language adopted by the nobility and the bourgeoisie